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Steady Jonathan Sexton drives Leinster win

Brive 13 Leinster 36

WHEN Gerhard Vosloo burrowed over in the 66th minute to put Brive within nine points, there was just the possibility that Leinster might have to sweat a while. That Kevin McLaughlin touched down within 60 seconds of the restart says something of their dominance of a scrappy and occasionally ill-tempered game.

Part of the problem was Welsh referee James Jones, who not only wears far too much hair gel but was also content to penalise an indisciplined Brive side all afternoon without sending one of their serial miscreants to the bin. Then there was Brive themselves, whose only similarity to the brilliant side of the 1990s is that they play at the same stadium. They were truly awful.

Leinster won't mind that. This was all about responding to last week's disappointment and they did so emphatically. Their lineout was steady, their scrum destructive - with Mike Ross doing a number on